Wooden picture frame with metal trim and method of making the same



Feb. 26, 1957 M. SPERTUS WOODEN PICTURE FRAME WITH METAL TRIM AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed July 6, 1954 WOODEN PICTURE FRAME WITH METAL TRIM AND Mansion on MAKING THE SAME I Maurice Spertus, Chicago, Ill. Application an 6, 1954, Serial No. 441,510

3 Claims. (Cl. 40-152 This invention relates to picture frames and mouldings from which picture frames are made; More particularly the invention concerns a wooden picture frame construction with" metal trim and a method of making the same whereby the frame appears to be inlaid with strips of metal.

Heretofore picture frames and picture frame mouldings made of wood or other suitable material and trimmed with strips of metal and the like have been well known. Artistic and highly decorative frames have been achieved by inlaying into the wood narrow metallic strips arranged in various patterns and designs. Heretofore such designs necessitated the cutting of individual grooves in the moulding strips and the inlaying or fitting within these grooves of the strips comprising the trim.

The above-mentioned method of construction obviously required considerable skill and Was somewhat costly. Hence, only in the more expensive types of picture frames could these inlaid designs be incorporated.

It is thereforea principal object of this invention to provide a picture frame or picture frame moulding trimmed with metal and the like effecting an inlaid appearance but overcoming all of the disadvantages mentioned hereinabove.

A further object is to afford a method for making picture frame and picture frame mouldings of the character described hereinabove by means of which the aforementioned disadvantages are substantially overcome.

Another object is to provide a picture frame moulding in which a single metallic strip may be mounted on a picture frame moulding in such a manner that in combination with the moulding and with strips of wooden veneer, the optical elfect of a plurality of parallelly positioned spaced apart strips of metal inlaid into the moulding strip, is achieved.

Still a further object is to afford an inlaid wooden frame capable of incorporating therein numerous desirable, decorative and artistic designs but at a cost considerably less than heretofore possible.

Still another object is to provide a method of making the above-described picture frames without requiring any unusual or special skills on the part of the artisan practicing the method.

Yet a further object is to afiord a metal inlaid Wooden picture frame in which relatively inexpensive but highly attractive veneered woods may be most effectively utilized.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, arrangement and a combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details of the structure may be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

2,782,541 teeters as 1 5? For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of my invention, I have illustrated in. the accompanying drawings preferred embodiments thereof, from an in= spection of which, when considered in connection with the following description, my invention, its mode of construction, assembly and operation, and many of its advantages should be readily understood and appreciated.

Referring to the drawings in which the same characters of reference are employed to indicate corresponding or similar parts throughout the several figures of the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view' of a picture frame embodying the principles of my invention;

Fig. 2 is an exploded fragmentary view of several of the component parts, particularly of the metal strip and wooden veneer strip;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on the plane of line 3-3 in Fig. l of the drawings and viewed in the direction indicated;

Fig. 4 is another fragmentary sectional view similar to that of Fig. 3 but illustrating another embodiment of the invention.

Referring now to Fig. l of the drawings, reference numeral 10 indicates generally a picture frame fabricated from lengths of moulding such :as 12, mitered, cut, fitted and joined together in any suitable manner.

The moulding strip 12 in the embodiment chosen for illustration may be made with a core 14 made of any inexpensive wood such as pine, gum or the like, covered with a thin strip. of veneer 16. This'veneer may be of the more desirable decorative woods such as Walnut, mahogany, and the like.

Obviously the shape of the moulding strip may be varied as desired. However, in the embodiment chosen for illustration in Fig. 3 of the drawings, the strip is defined by a flat back wall surface '18, an outwardly inclined side wall 20, a narrow substantially horizontally disposed front outer marginal wall 22, and a short wall section 24' downwardly directed from the marginal wall 22 but sloping slightly away therefrom. The face 26 of the moulding may comprise a slightly-sloping arcuat'ely-shaped surface which may communicate at its outer edge 28 with a slot or cut 30 and at its inner edge is terminated by a substantially vertical wall 32. The inner portion of the moulding strip 12 is undercut as at 34 and is defined by a vertical straight wall 36 and a horizontally disposed straight wall 38.

Within this undercut portion 34 may be positioned a channel-shaped member 4i) which completely encircles the picture-displaying area defined by the moulding strips. This channel is designed to receive and retain therein the various component parts of the conventional picture frame including a pane of glass 42, the picture itself 44, a plurality of sheets of backing material such as 46 and the back closure-member 48 which may have attached thereto an easel support such as 50. A bezel member 52 encircling the marginal edge of the picture area may be inserted with a rear portion 54 thereof wedged between the channel 40 and the moulding wall 38.

The description to this point is not unlike the description of a picture frame of the usual and conventional construction. Attention now is directed to the subject matter which comprises the invention and which will now be described in detail. Accordingly attention is directed to Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings.

In Fig. 2 of the drawings there is illustrated a portion of an important component part comprising a strip of metal 56 formed in a peculiar shape. The shape comprises a centrally depressed flat bottom groove 58 positioned between a pair of integrally-formed protruding ribs 60 and 62 respectively. The rib 60 is substantially channel-shaped with a straight wall segment 62 formed between the top of the rib 60 and the bottom 64 of the groove 58. The free end of the rib 60 is formed as a substantially straight wall segment 66 with the bottom edge 68 depending below the bottom wall 64 of the groove 58. The other rib 62 may likewise be formed with a substantially straight inner wall 70 and an inclined free end wall 72.

In Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings it will be noted that the straight wall portion 66 of the strip 56- may be positioned with its depending end 68 within the moulding strip groove 30, said groove being deep enough to accommodate the same. The inclined free end wall 72 is positioned on the face 26 of the moulding so that the free end thereof abuts this face surface. In practice the metallic strip 56 is aflixed to the moulding strip 12 by any conventional means, such as for example by a plurality of nails 74. 1

After the metallic strip 56 has been mounted and aifixed to the moulding strip 12, a thin strip of wooden veneer 76 of the same finish as the veneer 16 of the moulding strip 12 is positioned within the groove 58 and adhered to the bottom wall 58 as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. The width of the veneer strip 76 should be sufiicient to cover substantially the entire bottom wall 64 of the groove 58 so that only the metallic rib segments 60 and 62 together with their component Wall segments such as 62, 66, 70 and 72 are exposed to view. Since the finish of the veneer strip 76 is the same as the finish of the moulding strip veneer 12, when so fabricated the ribs 60 and 62 appear to be strips or ribs of metal inlaid into the face of the moulding strip 12 and further appear as independent strips of metallic trim separated by a portion of the moulding itself. The illusion is further enhanced by reason of the sloping shape of the moulding face 26.

It should be readily apparent that although a specific metallic strip shape has been described wherein merely two ribs 60 and 62 are present, the shape of the strip may be varied to atford more than two ribs, in fact as many as desired. Furthermore, the shape of the ribs themselves may be varied, and if further desired, various artistic designs may be formed in the ribs.

In Fig. 4 of the drawings there is illustrated a slightly modified form of the invention illustrating another artistic picture frame design. In this embodiment similar parts are indicated by like numerals with the added sufiix a.

In this modification the moulding strip 12a is formed with an inwardly inclined outer wall portion 80. The

shape of the moulding strip inall other respects may remain the same as that illustrated in the principal embodiment. On this inclined wall portion 80 may be positioned a second metallic strip 56a, the construction of which may remain the same as that previously described. Again a veneer strip 76a may be positioned thereover within the slot 58a so that again the illusion is created of metallic ribs such as 60:: and 62a inlaid into the surface of the moulding strip 12a. Thus, it may be perceived that as many metallic strips may be used in whatever positions desired, limited only by the taste of the designer.

It should also be noted that although I prefer to form a slot 30 in the moulding face for the purpose of positioning therein the depending end 68 of the metal strip 56, the strip 56 may be formed so that the end 68 does not depend below the bottom wall 64 of the slot 68, in which case the slot 30 may be dispensed with.

From the foregoing description it should be readily apparent that I have provided a uniquely constructed picture frame made of strips of wooden moulding and effecting inlaid metallic strips. I have further provided a method for making such a moulding in which a unitary metal strip is utilized together with one or more strips of wooden veneer to afford a picture frame which appears to have inlaid therein a plurality of separate spaced-apart strips or ribs of metal or the like.

It is believed that my invention, its mode of construction and assembly, and many of its advantages should be readily understood from the foregoing without further description, and it should also be manifest that while preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described for illustrative purposes, the structural details are nevertheless capable of wide variation Within the purview of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A picture frame comprising longitudinal and transverse lengths of wooden strips joined at their extremities to form a frame adapted to encompass a picture area, saidstrips being formed on their faces with grooves parallel to the lengths of said strips and joining at their extremities to form a continuous groove about the picture area; a metal frame interengaging said continuous groove, said metal frame being formed of sheet metal strips joined at their extremities, said sheet metal strips being formed with flanges longitudinally of the strips and bent transverse to the face thereof, said flanges entering said grooves, there being spaced protruding ribs formed on said metal strips providing therebetween a closed channel encompassing the picture area; and shallow veneer strips of wood of the same kind and finish as the woodof the frame body attached in said channel and covering the entire bottom thereof between said ribs, so as to encompass the picture area, concentric with the wooden frame body; the said metal ribs spaced by the veneerstrips giving an effect of spaced'metal inlays in the wooden frame.

2. A picture frame as defined in claim 1, including attaching means penetrating said channel and penetrating the wooden frame member, said veneer strips masking said attaching means.

3. A picture frame comprising lengths of wooden strip joined at their extremities to form a frame adapted to encompass a picture area, said strips being formed on their faces with grooves parallel to the lengths of said strips and joining at their extremities to form a continuous groove about the picture area; a metal frame interengaging said continuous groove, said metal frame being formed of sheet metal strips joined at their extremities, said sheet metal strips being formed with flanges longitudinally of the strips and bent transverse to the face thereof, said flanges entering said grooves, there being spaced protruding ribs formed on said metal strips providing therebetween a closed channel encompassing the picture area; and shallow veneer strips of wood of the same kind and finish as the wood of the frame body attached in said channel and covering the entire bottom thereof between said ribs, so as to encompass the picture area, concentric with the wooden frame body; the said metal ribs spaced by the veneer strips giving an effect of spaced metal inlays in the wooden frame.

Johnson July 1, 1879 Rosenberg Nov. 30, 1954 

